


The Nemean Lion

by GayAndNaps



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Jealousy, Memory Loss, Slow Burn, penelope gets hurt, they fight a new creature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 21:53:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 16,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17650571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayAndNaps/pseuds/GayAndNaps
Summary: Just a few days after the birthday party and the kiss, a new creature appears, Josie is not really in the mood to talk to Penelope and tries to get rid of the beast with her friends... Except that things don’t go as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah I suck at summaries but I promise the story is gay (if it's good or not depends on what you think but I can assure you that it's gay)

It was just a few days after the kiss Josie had shared with her ex, Penelope. So far she had managed to avoid her just fine.

She did not want to think about what it meant or if that even meant something at all. Her mom just died for the second time and she was not in the mood for more complicated things in her life.

Sure, she was still madly in love with Penelope, but she also tried to move on. The crush she had on Raphael was the proof that she might get over her someday. Maybe the boy would be the solution she needed, he was nice and did not manipulate others, that was already something she could not say about her ex. But her sister had dibs on him so that made the whole thing complicated, once again.

She was drawn away from her thoughts by her sister, Lizzie, « Have you noticed how Satan's daughter has been staring at you more than usual these last few days ? », she asked.

They were currently sitting in the lunch room and waited for MG to join them. That question made Josie shift uncomfortably in her chair, « No I haven't noticed, but it's not like I care so... ».

That was a lie, she knew that. And her sister knew that too but she did not have time to react since MG joined them in a hurry.

« Haven't you heard ? A new monster appeared and apparently it is huge ! Some werewolf dudes said they saw a gigantic lion in the woods ! »

« Come on MG, you don't actually believe that, do you ? Everyone knows these guys like to prank people. », Lizzie said while laughing a bit.

« Yeah but how would you explain that one of them ended up in the infirmary with a big ass scratch on the arm. The nurse said she had never seen anything like that ! »

« Oh my god, we better be careful, who knows what this one is capable of, this guy is lucky he is a werewolf ! He could have died ! », exclaimed Josie with a worried tone.

After the news, they finished lunch and decided to go see Alaric to learn more about that new monster. 

The trio found him in his office but he refused to give them any more informations, he seemed more tense than usual, the last few days had been rough on him and he barely had time to recover from the Necromancer's appearance.

They quickly understood that insisting would be useless so they decided to wait and see how would evolve the situation, the twin's dad was already upset enough so they decided to listen to him for once... More or less at least.

MG still wanted to get more informations so he went to interrogate the werewolf at the infirmary and promised the girls to get back to them, well Josie at least since Lizzie did not seem to care much as long as she did not see the lion with her own eyes.

The three of them parted ways when they reached the main hall. As soon as the others left, Josie felt someone tapping on her shoulder, since the whole lion story put her on edge she couldn't help but jump.

She heard a laugh that she knew too well and turned around. The laugh belonged to Penelope who had a hard time catching her breath. « I'm so sorry I scared you but your reaction was way out of proportion », she said whil trying to contain her laughter.

« Well if you had heard about the attack, you would be too. », Josie shot back, clearly frustrated.

« Oh yeah the lion thing, right ? Don't worry, I'm sure your dad and Hope will fix that quickly. », Hope's name slipped out, she knew the girl was not a big fan of her dad and the tribrid's relationship, she felt left out.

« Yeah maybe... Anyway did you want something ? », she said after a short silence.

« Right... I was wondering if we could talk somewhere more private ? »

« Listen Penelope, if you wanted to talk about what happened between us on my birthday, I'm sorry but I don't have time for this right now, I have to go to the library. »

« Actually I just wanted to know how you were holding up since the past days weren't the most pleasant ones, but I guess I'll leave you to it. », she said clearly a bit hurt, she knew Josie hated her and she had every right to but she had hopped they could at least stay cordial.

Josie felt immediatly bad, it was not like her to talk so harshly, and seeing Penelope's face when she heard it made her realize she should had let her a chance to speak before jumping to conclusions.

But the girl had left before she could have the chance to apologize. So Josie headed to the library.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading !

Once in the library Josie started doing some researches and after an hour or so, she finally found a beast that matched the description of the rumors.

If she was correct, it was the Nemean Lion, a creature from the greek mythology. It had been killed by Heracles. Apparently, no mortal weapons could kill it, luckily, they were in a place were mortal things were pretty rare.

As soon as she found that, MG joined her and what he told her from the attack confirmed her last doubts.

They both decided to go see Alaric again, despite what they had promised, they knew the lion was dangerous and that it would not be easy to get rid of.

What Alaric told them when they found him alarmed the two, apparently he came to the same conclusion as them and the lion had been seen in the garden so everyone had been urged to come back inside. 

All the students were called in the main hall for one of Josie's dad's famous speech. 

They had apparently put a magic barrier around the whole school and it was now forbidden to go outside. They were stuck until the beast was found and taken care of.

At the end of the speech, as everyone went to their room, Penelope caught up with Josie, « Hey ! I heard you were searching for that thing ? I hope it's not true, it could kill you Jojo ! », she said, clearly worried.

« Well it's not like I can let my dad and Dorian risk their lives for us once again... Why are you suddenly interested in what I do anyway ? »

« Come on Jo you know I care... And for the record, protecting the students is basically their jobs. »

« Yeah but he's my dad so I won't let him alone, we're not even sure how to kill it and I have magic. », she said firmly.

« Well if you're going, then I'm coming with you. »

« What ?! No you're not ! It's not safe ! And why do you care about what happens to me ? », she knew that last part was not fair, the dark haired girl had proved multiple times that she still cared about the brunette, but she was still hurt about how she broke her heart and most of all she did not want the other girl to put herself in danger because of her.

« You can't change my mind, and I have magic too, remember ? I can take care of myself just fine. Plus I'm sure that you'll need all the help you can get. ».

The girl was stubborn and Josie knew that she would not let go so in the end, she let come.

Hope ran up to them just when they were about to leave, apparently MG and her had a plan. Every one willing to fight needed to gather in the gymnasium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh I'm not really sure if I should continue with this story so tell me what you think


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, I found new ideas for this story so I will definitly continue it :)

Once they got to the gymnasium, they noticed that the number of people 'willing to fight' was actually pretty small, the adults in charge had forbidden most of the students to come. They even managed to convince the werewolf pack to step down, only the alpha, Raphael, had been allowed to come.

The team was basically the usual 'super-hero' team, there was Hope, MG, Josie, Penelope, Dorian, Alaric and as mentionned before, Raphael.

Apparently the plan was pretty simple, someone had to be used as bait while the others were waiting to immoblize the lion and trap it in a jar. Nothing could resist it and it was better to have the lion somewhere safe since apparently killing it was not really an option. On the contrary of what Josie intially thought, even a vampire or a werewolf would be powerless against it.

Raphael volunteered to be the bait since he was fast enough to escape the lion, Josie, Penelope and Hope would say the formula to trap the beast, Alaric would hold the jar and MG and Dorian potions to slow it down in case it turned out bad or took too long.

It seemed to have been well calculated so as soon as everything was in place, they decided to start.

Raphael got out and as he did so, Josie's face changed, she seemed really worried and Penelope pretended that she did not see the change in the girl's face and tried to stay focused on her task.

After 5 minutes what felt like hours, Raphael came back, just as planned he was purchased by the beast.

But things started to go downhill as soon as they made their entrance. The creature suddenly lost its interest on Raphael and started to run to the witches instead. And especially towards Josie.

Everyone was taken aback and it would soon be too late for Josie. Luckily, Penelope waisted no time and pushed Josie at the last minute.

Josie had not had time to react and when she turned to see if the other girl was alright, she saw her laying unconscious on the ground with blood.

The others reacted pretty quickly and right after that, the lion got immobilized by the potions and Hope managed to trap the lion with the formula on her own.

Josie ran up to Penelope, crying and checked her pulse, the girl was still alive but she was in a bad shape. Her dad asked Hope and the others to take her away while he took Penelope to the hospital since her injuries were too serious to go to the infirmary like the werewolf.

Josie fought hard to come with Penelope, even MG, a vampire, was scared to pull her away from the girl's body. The brunette did not want to let go and would not listen to anyone so Hope made her sleep with a spell.

About an hour later, she woke up in her room, surrounded by her friends and her sister who all had a worried look on their faces. It took her a few seconds to remember what happened but as soon as she did, she bursted into tears and tried to leave.

Lizzie ran up to hug her and the others watched silently as the brunette cried in her twin's shoulder. The scene was painful to watch, they could all see that the girl was distraught.

After a few minutes, Hope's phone rang. It was Alaric who informed her that Penelope was still in surgery but according to the doctors, she would make it.

Everyone felt immediately relived, and Josie even managed to calm down. When she did, MG offered to drive her to the hospital since he was worried too. Hope went with them unlike Lizzie who thought that staying here would be for the best since Penelope basically despised her.

Once they got there, they managed to find Alaric who was sitting in the waiting room, « Her surgery will be over soon, the doctors said that she had a concussion and a serious wound on her shoulder. ».

Josie and the others sat beside him and waited. MG took the girl in his arms, he had never seen her like this, she was usually so smiley, but right now all her face showed was concern, she did not think about anything besides the girl.

Penelope saved her life, she sacrificed herself to save her, that thought did not leave the girl's head. Why would she do something like that, she thought. Isn't she supposed to be selfish ? I have been awful to her during the past days ! Why would she do something so stupid...

She could not stop replaying the scene in her head, it all went so fast...

A doctor approached them and Josie snapped out of her thoughts. She got up as quickly as possible and was ready to hear eveything he had to say.

« Your friend came in a pretty bad shape but we managed to stabilize her. For now she is resting but we don't know when she'll wake up or what will result from her concussion, it's too soon to pronounce ourselves yet but you have to know that the symptoms can be serious. », said the doctor

« What kind of symptoms could she have ? », asked Josie in a worried tone.

« There are a lot of symptoms, it goes from nausea, to headaches or even clumsiness. She could also experience short- or long-memory loss but as I said, it's too soon to pronounce ourselves. »

The last part clearly worried the girl, « She needs rest for now, a nurse can lead you to her room if you want. ».

And with that, the 4 of them went to Penelope's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to leave comments :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 4, I hope you enjoy :)

When they entered the room, they saw Penelope, lying in an hospital bed. She was surrounded my machines, she had bandages on her right arm and on her head and she had tubes that were there to help her breathe.

The girl seemed so peaceful lying there, maybe too much even. That vision scared Josie, she still could not believe that the girl did that, she did that for her. She also realized how scared she had been of losing her. At that moment, all of the silly dramas between them did not matter, Penelope did.

Alaric, MG and Hope chose to sat in the chairs against the wall to give them space and Josie took her chair near the bed. She sat next to the unconscious girl, she wanted to be here first in case she woke up.

But it did not take too long for the brunette to fall asleep, the whole thing had been exhausting.

After a few hours, she felt the hand she was holding move. She shot her head up and saw that the dark haired girl had her eyes open. Alaric immediately called the nurse, and after a few minutes, the tubes in her throat were removed.

« Hey. », said Josie calmly, « How are you feeling ? ».

« My head hurts a lot and I also have pain in my shoulder... What happened ? Where am I ? ».

« The lion attacked me and you saved my life, you are in the hospital, we did not have time to heal you with magic and the nurse's office would have been useless. ».

« 'A lion' ? Why would I fight a lion ? Is this some kind of joke ? Who are you people ? », she started to freak out a little.

« What do you mean 'who are we' ? You don't remember us ? ».

« Should I ? », the girl had a confused look on her face.

Eveyone stared at her silently, eveything Josie dreaded was happening and she could not do anything about it. Penelope had lost her memories. She did not remember her at all and looked at her as if she was a stranger. 

After a minute, Penelope felt intimidated since the staring became insistent, « I'll take the lack of answer as a yes, I guess ? »

« I'm sorry it's just that... I wasn't expecting that... »

« Well me neither I guess, but since I can't remember, who knows right ? », she chuckled to lighten the mood.

« Yeah... Could you tell us the last thing you remember ? »

« Uh, I think it is me being at home and accidentaly setting on fire my step dad's car ? », she kept thinking, « Oh ! And also my mom saying some things about me having magic or something like that and sending me to a private school, it was just a trick to be alone with her boyfriend if you want my opinion. »

« Penelope, that was more than a year ago... », Alaric told her.

« Really ? », that kind of shocked the girl, she was still not sure whether or not she should trust them, she did not know all of these people, but the doctor came in and confirmed what they had been saying, she had a concussion that caused her memory loss, she did not ask about the lion thing since that seemed way too crazy for her.

It was late and the visiting hours were over so the group decided to leave Penelope to rest, they figured it would be better for her to stay alone, learning you forgot an entire year of your life could be a little confusing and difficult to accept.

The car ride went silently, no one dared to speak a word, everyone was happy to see that Penelope was awake but the memory loss was for sure something no one expected.

Josie had been staring at the window of the car for the entire ride and did not even notice when they arrived back at the school. She was clearly upset about the situation, but no one could figure what she felt exactly. She did not cry, she did not seem angry, her face was just blank.

When she got out of the car, she stayed silent and went right to her room. On her way, she bumped into Raphael and Lizzie who both asked her how was Penelope. But once again, she said nothing. She just went to her room.

MG then explained to them the situation and even the blonde girl seemed lost, she had never seen her twin in such a state, she was usually pretty open with her emotions, at least with her, but here she seemed closed off to everyone and everything, she was a ghost.

Even if Penelope and her have had their differences, she knew how much she still mattered to her sister, and how her sister mattered to her. She had the feeling that these next weeks would be difficult for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always comments are welcome and you can also contact me on tumblr if you have suggestions or requests : https://gayandnaps.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to update pretty quickly, I post the chapters as soon as they're finished and since I had time to write today, I have been productive so here is chapter 5 :)

Penelope woke up in that same hospital bed... This was not a dream, she still could not remember what happened in the last year. That really upset her. She had so many questions, like who was the girl holding her hand ? She seemed to care deeply about her. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, it was the guy form last night, she recognized him.

« Hey ! They let me bring you some coffee, I hope it's alright ? », MG asked shyly.

« Yeah it's perfect but did you... »

« Two sugars I know », he interrupted her and sat on the chair next to her bed.

« Right... »

An awkward silence settled so Penelope decided to speak to break the ice, « I'm sorry but who are you again ? ».

« I'm Milton but I prefer to be called MG, you and I were close friends actually. »

« Oh... I'm sorry... »

« For what ? »

« Well it must have been hard for you since... You know... I don't even remember you and I almost died. », she said awkwardly.

« Well it must be harder for you so I won't complain, and I'll stay by your side because even if you don't remember me for now, I still care about you. Not to mention that I'm not the one it had been the harder for... Besides you I mean. »

« Are you talking about the girl that was holding my hand ? Josie is it ? Who is she ? », Penelope seemed curious to know more about that girl, she had seemed so hurt when she told her she could not remember.

« You two have a complicated story », he paused a little, unsure if he should be the one telling her, but seeing the look of eagerness on her friend's face was too hard so he continued, « You two used to date but not too long ago you dumped her, I know you were still in love with her and you never really explained to me why you did that but I guess you had your reasons. », he stopped again to see how the girl was taking the news but she seemed really interested so he kept going, « You weren't really talking to each other after that, except to argue, often about her twin, you were never a fan of hers. At one point Josie set your jacket on fire, that's why you have a new haircut. », he laughed at the thought of that scene.

« Oh, I see, we really have a complicated story. »

« Yeah... And even if you weren't together, I know Josie still meant a lot for you, in fact you helped Hope, the other girl who was there, and me save her a few days ago. And I don't know what happened when I left you two alone but things became more awkward than usual if you want my opinion but I guess it's not my place to tell you that. »

« Save her from what ? », she asked.

MG then spent the next hour explaining everything to her, about magic, vampires, witches, werewolves and the creatures attacking the school. He told her all she had to know. At first, she had a hard time believing him but he showed her his « vampire face », and she was forced to admit that not everyone could grow fangs like that.

« So my mom was right huh ? », she joked.

« I guess she was, in fact you never really talked about her », he admitted.

« Yeah, we were never really close to be honest, I think it's better now that we are both living our lives. », she sighed.

« You look like you need a hug... »

« No way ! I'm not a hugger at all ! », the dark haired girl laughed.

« The old Penelope used to hug me all the time... », he lied. « I'm just cute like that I guess », the boy shrugged innocently.

« I know for sure that you're lying, but I appreciate the effort », she chuckled « Come here », Penelope opened her arms and the boy smiled lightly as he hugged his friend.

« Taking advantage of my amnesia was low... », she joked once the hug was over.

The two spent some time just laughing and joking around, as if nothing happened but MG had to get back to school since he still had classes, but he promised to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not have too much time to write at the end of the week but I'll still try to update :) thanks for reading !


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

While MG was at the hospital, Josie woke up, she seemed better than before but everyone could tell that it was just in appearance. She was too exhausted to go to class and spent the morning in her bed.

Hope visited her and brought her lunch but she affirmed that she was not hungry. What happened over the last 24 hours replayed in her head over and over again. She might had claimed to everyone that she hated the girl, but even before the accident, she knew it was not true, and the other girl did too, at least she hoped she did.

Penelope was manipulative, she did everything on purpose but somehow Josie still could not understand why she threw herself in front of the lion like that.

After a while, she decided that staying like that and being trapped by her thoughts would not change anything. So she thought it would be the right time to visit Penelope, talk to her and help her gain her memories back. 

She had already asked Hope if such a spell existed but the tribrid told her that she did not find any, she even asked her aunt Freya. They had to help her in the old fashion way, thankfully, the doctor said that she would find her memories back but it could take time.

Josie had spend all her life helping others, that was who she was. So she decided that she would do the same for Penelope, she owed her that. It is with this spirit that she came at the hospital.

On her way, she saw MG, the boy told her about his conversation with the dark haired girl, how she had learned about the school and the people in it. That was a start thought Josie.

Right before the door of the room, she stopped. She was starting to have second thoughts, but a nurse asked her if everything was okay and since she was not in the mood for a conversation, she said she was and entered the room.

« Hey ! », she said shyly.

« Oh hey ! I didn't know you were coming », the girl was apparently on her phone, probably searching for clues about her life but she dropped it as soon as she saw the brunette coming in.

« Yeah me neither to be honest »

« MG told me about you... Apparently we used to be close ? And then we didn't ? »

« Yeah well I assume he told you about our complicated story... This boy can't keep his tongue I swear. », Josie giggled.

« I noticed that he likes to speak but it didn't bother me, the company was nice. »

« He is a great guy it's true... »

Josie was still standing at the entrance of the room at that point. So she decided to sit on one of the chairs against the wall, it was not far from Penelope's bed since the room was quite small, but it still showed how much the girl was uncomfortable. The injured girl decided not to comment on that as she was not sure what the other girl was thinking.

« The doctors said I could go home tomorrow, so I guess that means I can go back to the school since I have no idea where my mom is or if she even cares. »

« Oh that's good news ! », she chosed to ignore the latest comments since she knew the relationship of Penelope with her mom was tense and it was probably the last thing the girl in front of her wanted to talk about.

« Yeah... I'll need someone to take care of me though, since you know...I have still trouble standing up and all. »

« Well our rooms aren't far from each other actually so maybe I could keep an eye on you and show you around ? »

« Yeah that'd be great, thanks ! », said Penelope with a smile.

For the first time since she woke up, Josie smiled. It was genuine and kind, just like it used to be.

« I'm sorry for yesterday by the way, if I scared you... I shouldn't have been so cold. I was just shocked I guess, and I still am but it wasn't fair to you, you did nothing wrong. », apologized Josie.

« Why are you apologizing ? You did nothing wrong either, I completely get your reaction, it's valid. »

« Yeah... Everyone told me that but I should have been there for you. »

« Aren't you the one who were holding my hand when I woke up though ? That seems quite enough for me. », she laughed.

« I guess you're right... »

« Yeah I'm always right. », she flipped her hair with her hand that was not immobilized.

« Glad to see you didn't lost your confidence.. », Josie joked in return.

Penelope and Josie spent the rest of the visiting hours just laughing and appreciating the other's company. If it weren't in such terrible circumstances, the brunette would even have found it nice.

That moment she shared with the other girl made her realize that all hope wasn't lost after all, the girl was still there, she was still the same, she just needed time and Josie would give her exactly that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when the next chapter will come out but I promise to not be too long, thanks for reading and as always don't hesitate to comment if you have suggestions or just to let me know if you like the story so far, it's always nice :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I'm back :) I'll try to update as soon as possible

The next day, Dorian brought Penelope back to school and Josie was right at the entrance, waiting for her. She planned to give her the usual tour, just like she did when the girl first came in.

Josie could remember that day perfectly, as soon as the girl got out of the car, it was over for her. She remembered how she first smiled at her and how she seemed to only have eyes for her, the brunette had found it refreshing, she loved her sister of course, and she honestly could not care less for attention, but she knew right away that the new girl will soon become someone important for her.

Just like the first time, Penelope smiled at her in a way that illuminated her all face, Josie had always found that smile mesmerizing. 

As she still had trouble walking, she had to use a wheelchair for a while, of course, the brunette immediatly proposed to push her. The other girl wanted to refuse but since she only had one valid arm, she was not in position to choose. It did not look like Josie would have taken no for an answer anyway.

Josie was not the only one waiting for her, MG was there too, and the two of them gave her a proper tour, saying jokes once in a while and keeping the mood light.

At the end of the tour, they showed the girl her bedroom, it was just as she left it even though she could not remember that yet and MG decided to give the two some privacy so he left.

While she was wandering in the room, trying to recognize things from her past, she caught a glipse of herself in the mirror. Her head bandages had been removed and she only had a cut on her forehead.

« Huh... I guess I should thank you for setting me on fire, I really rock this lob. », she chuckled softly.

Josie did not know what to say, it was really embarrassing and she could not believe MG would even tell her that.

« Well, you kinda deserved it but yeah this haircut suits you. »

« Thanks, and I figured I did since you don't strike to me as the mean type of girl ».

« Yeah, that's one of my problem, I'm caring too much for others... »

« Since when is being 'too nice' a problem ? », Penelope asked her.

« Trust me... it can really be one, people can easily take advantage of that, you know »

« Yeah but that's on them, being selfless isn't the problem, people who take advantage are and caring for others should never be seen as a flow, I think it's amazing... », she stated.

« Thanks », Josie could not fight the smile on her lips, even without her memories, Penelope stayed the only one who seemed to really accept who she was, to encourage her. People usually told her that being nice was a synonym of being naive. But for the raven haired girl, it was something that she should be proud of, because even if in her current state she did not know Josie that well, she knew that the girl was far from naive, she just needed to stop putting her happiness after everyone else's.  
« Well I should get going. », Josie was about to leave, to give Penelope some time to adjust on her own when the dark haired girl's face shifted and a vulnerable expression appeared, « Hey... what's wrong ? », she asked, suddenly becoming worried.

« I haven't really slept these past nights to be honest... I still don't remember much about the accident but everytime I close my eyes I can see kind of flashes of it I guess ? And it really scares me you know ? », admitted Penelope.

The girl had been through a traumatic experience and the dreams only made sense, but Josie could not bear seeing the girl look so fragile, « Do you want me to stay with you tonight ? That way we can talk about your past life, if you have any questions and maybe the company will help you relax a little ? »

« You don't have to do that... I can just ask for a sleeping potion or whatever. »

« Yeah maybe but I think it will be good for both of us to be honest. »

« If you insist... That would be very nice. », conceded Penelope.

« Nice ! Let me just go grab my stuff and I'll be right back ! Unless you wanted some time alone ? »

« No it's okay, I got enough at the hospital don't worry. », she smiled softly at the girl.

Josie told her she would not be long and left the room. It gave some time to think to Penelope, to try to remember something.

She got a text from MG asking how she was doing. She even got one from Hope, with whom she was not that close apparently, the boy had told her that they had really hit it off when they were rescuing Josie from zombies though. Rescuing someone from zombies... Everything seemed still so crazy to her even though she had always felt something different inside of her, she was far from thinking it was magic.

She was now lying down on her bed, searching for old text from her phone, or photos that would remind her of past events but she slowly closed her eyes, the girl had not slept in two days, or at least very little and with all of what she had been through she could not fight the tiredness anymore. So she soon gave in and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter is longer than the others but whatever

She saw herself jumping in front of the lion while pushing Josie away, but then everything went dark for Penelope. It all happened so quickly... The moment everything became confused was so scary for her. There was just... Nothing. 

She was suddenly awoken by Josie who called her name. She was sweaty and panting, Josie had apparently rushed toward her as soon as she saw the girl having a nightmare. She immediately took her in her arms to comfort her.

« You're here and you're safe... I promise », she reassured her.

After a few minutes, the girl finally calmed down, Josie had help her breathe and kept her grounded. She had not realized how the recent events had affected the girl, besides the physic injuries and the memory loss. 

« Thank you... », Penelope whispered soflty.

« You're welcome... I'm used to calming people, my sister often has, uhh episodes. », she confessed.

« I see... Well I'm very glad you woke me up because it was even worse than the first times. »

« Do you want to talk about it ? », Josie asked carefully.

She sat in front of the other girl, to show her she was ready to listen.

« Well as I told you, I see myself in a gymnasium and a gigantic lion is running towards you », she started, « and then I can't stop myself from pushing you away, at that moment I think I'm very worried and it just feels... I don't know... right maybe ? Like I feel like if that lion even touches a strand of your hair, I won't be able to forgive myself. And then it hits me pretty violently, I hear you scream and Hope chanting some formula and then... Nothing... Just plain emptiness that I can't escape. », She finally said.

« Wow... », she exhaled, « It all went pretty fast and I can't really recall everything but I think that it really happened », the brunette was quite taken aback by what the girl just said, since they had broken up, she always saw Penelope as the devil itself, without any care for others, just plain selfish, but if this dream is a memory, it means that maybe she should have trusted the girl when she told her she cared, maybe the old Penelope was not all that bad, and maybe she had been a little too fast at taking sides in the feud between her ex and her sister.

« So I was right... Those are memories... Well that's good I guess, it means all hope isn't lost for me. », she joked.

« Of course it's not P... », she suddenly realized the nickname she just used, it had been so long since she last used it, but somehow it did not make anything weird, they were getting back to a fresh start with their friendship. « I told you before, you can count on me and the others to stay by your side and support you, we aren't the kind of people who let you give up so easily. »

« So I have my own super hero squad ? That's cool. »

« Or as Hope would call it, an Avengers squad... But yeah, you can count on us if that's what you mean. »

« We should go grab a drink just the 4 of us when I can walk properly again. », Penelope proposed.

« Oh right... speaking of, I searched for a spell to heal you directly, but I only found one used by the Bennett family and no one used it in years... It seemed a little risky, anyway, I had completely forgotten that we could just ask any vampire to give you some blood. »

« You really made researches ? Well I don't know what vampire blood has to do with me but if it can heal me, why not ? Or at least make the pain in my arm go away. »

« I had trouble sleeping after the first time I saw you in that hospital bed and I sneeked ou at night to do some researches because I couldn't bare to see you in that state... », she admitted. « But yeah vampire blood can completely cure you, at least the physical injuries and I really wonder why we did not think of that sooner. », she chuckled nervously at the end.

« That would be great. I could focus on gaining back my memories ! And also not be in pain at every move I do. »

« I guess asking MG for a bottle of his blood was a good idea then. »

Josie made Penelope drink the entire bottle, at first she seemed a little weirded out but she understood that it was for her own good so she did as she was told. A few seconds later, it was as if nothing ever happened, she never felt so good in her life. The only thing missing was the past year that she still could not remember.

« Now I suggest you avoid dying for the next 24 hours and you'll be fine. », Josie joked.

« Right... MG told me how to turn, well I assure you I don't wanna be stuck in a teenager's body for the rest of my life, plus being a witch actually seem pretty fun. »

« It really is. I could teach you some tricks if you'd like ? ».

« Yeah for sure but right now, why don't we relax a little and maybe watch a movie ? ».

Josie agreed but before the movie, she decided to get some food from the kitchen, she settled for some vegetables and chicken. When she came back, the other girl did not seemed that pleased with the menu.

« Carrots ? Really ? Didn't you find something more appealing ? », Penelope complained.

« I told you I would take care of you, and that includes feeding you healthy food, sorry P. ».

« Whatever.. », she opened her laptop and, luckily, her password was still the same so she managed to unlock it pretty easily. « What do you want to watch ? ».

« I don't mind, as long as it's not an horror movie. ».

« Horror movie it is then ! », giggled Penelope, « Don't worry I'll protect you. ».

« I'm the one there to protect you though... What about a TV show ? I heard One Day at a Time was a good one. »

« As you want but it better be good ! », Penelope finally gave in.

The two girls were now lying down comfortably, laughing at the show, they ended up watching half of the season before Josie felt Penelope's head fall on her shoulders, she did not want to wake her up so she put the laptop down and fell asleep with the girl's head still resting on her shoulder. It was comfortable not to mention that she had missed this proximitty with the girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some cute Posie for you :)

Josie was the first to wake up and when she tried to move her legs she realized she was stuck. The two had tangled their legs during the night and Penelope was really close to her. She even had her arm wrapped around her. This position made Josie smile, she remembered how they used to wake up like this and she would watch the raven haired girl sleep when she was still asleep. In times like this, everything seemed so peaceful, she was right where she belonged and nothing else mattered.

Josie caught herself thinking about this but she shook those thoughts away rapidly. She could not feel this way, especially not right now. The girl had already made her suffer once and it was even worse now that she had lost her memories, she could not take advantage of her like that, even with the current circumstances, the two of them being together again was a really bad idea. They were friends at the very best but nothing more. She was only there to support her since she was going through a rough time and that was it.

She felt the body next to her shift a little, and she saw the other girl open her eyes. At the same time, the girl untangled their legs and Penelope slowly removed her arm from the brunette, as soon as she did, the girl missed the heat that it brought her.

« Hey. », the girl who just woke up greeted softly, « Have you been awake for long ? ».

« No don't worry, just a few minutes. »

« And you spent them watching me ? Should I be scared ? », she joked.

« I don't know... Maybe... Who knows ? »

Penelope feigned to be shocked and they both laughed. The dark haired girl started to think that she really loved this laugh, when the other girl laughed, she could see true happiness. She had a capacity to share joy that amazed Penelope even though she just met her, sort of. She already witnessed that when they watched the show and she did not think she could grow tired of it.

« You really have a beautiful laugh », she blurted.

The brunette stopped laughing and stared at the girl, « Thanks. », she paused for a while before adding, « You used to tell me that all the time, and frankly I never knew what to answer. », she smiled shyly.

« I think thanks is enough don't worry, and I'm glad to know I agree with myself. », she chukled.

« Yeah don't worry about that, the amnesia did definitely not affect your personnality. »

« And is that a good or a bad thing ? »

« I suppose it's good, medically speaking I mean. »

« And not medically speaking ? »

Before Josie had the chance to answer that, someone knocked on the door and did not bother to wait for an answer to enter. It was Lizzie, apparently she had been texting Josie for an 'emergency' all morning. Penelope had a hard time hiding the fact that she was not too happy about the intrusion.

« You have to come right away ! I'll peech you on the way to our room ! », she said almost frantically.

« Lizzie, wait I can't... », Josie tried but without success.

« Please ! And you know we are having breakfast with dad this morning so it's more reasons to come ! »

« Uh right but I told him I might not come... »

« Why would you ditch it ? He already have less and less time for us with those invasions, you have to come ! »

Josie was stuck, she knew she did not have a choice so she asked Penelope if she wanted to join them but she denied the invitation, saying it was a family thing and she did not want to bother them.

In just a few minutes, Josie was dressed up and left with her twin, Penelope did not see that coming and she started to get why the blonde and her might not have been besties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed :)


	10. Chapter 10

After that scene, Penelope decided to get up too and texted MG to meet him at breakfast, the boy said he was with Hope but they would be happy if she joined so she put on a blue sweatshirt with the school's logo on it and some black pants. The doctor said she could walk a little with a crutch in the beginning in case she lost stability but she decided against it, it was already embarrassing enough that she had to arrive in a wheelchair, she did not want all the eyes on her once again and she felt way better thanks to the vampire blood.

when she was ready, she left her room and headed to the lunch room. She saw her two friends sitting at a table so she grabbed her breakfast and joined them.

As soon as she did, they stopped their conversations and asked her about her evening with Josie and more importantly why was she alone ?

« Lizzie bursted into the room and basically kidnapped her. », she said in a clearly annoyed tone.

« Of course it's Lizzie's fault, who else could it be ? », asked Hope in an even more annoyed tone.

« I honestly did not realize she could be THAT much when you told me about her. »

« Well you asked MG so it's no wonder. »

« Hey! I can recognize when she crosses the line, alright ? », MG defended himself.

« Ohhh I see... You have a crush on her don't you ? Well let me tell you something, you seem like an amazing guy and if Lizzie Saltzman can't realize that, it's on her. She doesn't even deserve someone like you. Plus, she's busy enough sucking literal life out of Josie. »

« Wow, you really woke up on the wrong foot. », MG answered, « But thanks, I guess... She is not that bad though. ». Both Penelope and Hope looked at him with a clearly not convinced face so he added, « Sometimes... ».

« I didn't wake up on the wrong foot, I wake up with Lizzie Saltzman bursting in my room and taking Josie away, which is way worse, trust me »

Hope could not contain her laughter any longer, « You must admit that she has a point. », she said to MG.

« Okay, okay, can we change the subject please ? ».

The girls agreed and they started talking about the school, the classes and Penelope's schedule since she was going back to class today, the director thought it was for the best to come back as soon as she felt better and she was obviously feeling better, the girl was also more than tired of staying in a room alone.

They indicated her where her first class would be, apparently she had History first so that would not change too much from what she was used to.

She went back to her room to take everything she needed and headed back to class, she was quite surprised to see Josie standing in front of the classroom.

« Hey what are you doing here ? », the raven haired girl asked.

« I'm waiting for the teacher, what about you, aren't you supposed to be resting today ? »

« Oh I see we share this class, and no I felt much better. », she smiled at her politely, « How was breakfast ? »

« It was... Something. We learned that our mom extended her recruitment mission once again so we still don't know when she'll be back, Lizzie did not take that well. », the brunette left the screaming part aside on purpose, she had guessed the events of earlier already annoyed the other girl and she wanted her sister and her to restart on the right foot.

« Oh, I'm sorry Jojo, how long has it been since you last saw her ? »

Josie could not help but smile at the nickname, « It has been a little over 6 months now... »

« That must be hard. »

« Yeah but I still have my dad and my sister so it's not that bad I guess ? »

Penelope stopped herself from making a joke about Lizzie and smiled with compassion at the other girl, at the same time the teacher called them in the classroom so eveyone entered.

The two girls decided to sit together at one of the tables in the middle of the room. It did not take long before the course began and it did not take long before Penelope lost her interest either. She could not stop staring at the girl beside her, by luck the teacher was moving during his lesson and he would often end up next to them so it made the staring less obvious for Josie.

At one point, she was drawn back to reality when someone behind her tapped on her shoulder, when she turned, she noticed MG at the table behind them, she did not even realize he was there and they were halfway through the class. He asked for a pencil but before she turned he whispered, « Girl, you gotta stop staring. »

And as soon as he did, Penelope tensed and blushed, the poor girl really thought she was being subtle. She went back to what the teacher was saying and spend the rest of the hour focused on the lesson, in appearence at least.

The teacher gave them an assignment for next week but they had to work in pairs. Obviously, Josie asked Penelope if she wanted to work with her and she could not say no to her. She knew it was a bad idea. She had no memories of the girl but the few hours they had spent together had been enough for her to know she had feelings for the brunette. Even if her past self was burried deep inside her, the feelings she had had for the girl did not disappear apparently, or at least were not hard to find again.

But Penelope knew she could not act on it, from what she had learn from others and herself, she could not be with Josie for now and they had a complicated past together. She needed to focus on healing and getting her life back, she could not slow herself down with love or the dramas that come with it, and especially with this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to Lizzie's fans lol, as always thanks for reading :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess angst is coming...

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly and soon, Penelope heard the bell telling her and the other students that the day was over, she was walking to her room to get some rest, when she got caught up by Josie.

« Hey ! We should start working on our assignment don't you think ? »

« Uh yeah sure, how about I text you later to come over, I wanted to take a short nap. »

« Are you sure you're okay ? You've been avoiding me all day... », Josie seemed a bit confused.

« I haven't ! », she had, « It's just that I was trying to find my marks on my own and I got caught in my thoughts for a big part of the day. », the girl had been trying to convince herself that the things she had felt while watching the brunette earlier were simply due to the fact that she had been a good friend and helped her a lot, that she was just grateful. She knew she was lying to herself but it was for the best.

« Oh I see... Well yeah then ! You can text me later for the hirstory thing. », She knew the dark haired girl had lied but she did not want to seem like she was pressuring her or like she was noisy, Penelope had always liked having her space, she would usually share when she wanted to and pushing her was useless. But Josie had noticed something was wrong since this morning and she felt bad because she was convinced that it was because of her twin's attitude before breakfast. She was far from the truth obviously but the girl had always been insecure when she felt like people were shutting her off.

They both parted ways after that, each of them returning to their rooms. When Penelope laid down, she could not sleep, her head was too busy, just like it had been for the entire day so after 10 minutes of being incapable of even shut her eyes, she decided to fight fire by fire and texted Josie to come to her room, they had both agreed that her room would be the quieter one to work in as Penelope did not have a roommate, and especially not a Lizzie.

After a while, she heard shy knocks on the door so she invited Josie in. They sat at her desk and things started to get awkward very quickly, none of them wanted to talk about what happened earlier or how Penelope had been distant all day. It turns out that the two worked pretty well together, especially when both of them were avoiding talking about anything besides history, and within an hour, the work was done. 

Josie seemed kind of in hurry when she packed her stuff and was soon ready to leave.

« Wait... Josie, I'm sorry if I seemed weird earlier... It's not because of something you've done, it's just that I got things in my mind but I swear you had nothing to do with it and I should not have been so cold to you. », she stopped Josie in her tracks.

« It's alright P and you know you can tell me anything, right ? »

Penelope laughed softly, the girl was so kind to her but she could never tell her those particular thoughts, « I know, thanks a lot and you know it goes for you too right ? ».

« I know », she smiled at her, « Also I totally forgot but there is a party on friday, do you wanna go with me ? It's not a big thing, I thought getting out and having fun would be good for you. »

« Sure, I can't say no to a party. », she also could not say no to the girl but she would not admit that part yet. « You know, you don't have to leave yet, I mean we could continue that show you made me watch or just... I don't know hang out with each other...», Penelope tried.

« Oh, I'm sorry but I promised Lizzie I would help her get ready for a date...»

« Can't she do that herself ? »

« Well she can but she asked me so I guess she needs advice. »

Penelope stayed silent, she did not want to pick a fight with the girl now that they had fixed things up but seeing the girl so codependent of her sister really annoyed her. She knew it was her personnality, Josie cared a lot for other people and especially for her twin, which was alright. But Lizzie was so self-centered and she was obviously taking advantage of the brunette.

« You know you can say no to her? right ? The world won't fall appart if you do. », that came out way harsher than intended.

« Of course I know but she's my sister and I know she would do the same for for me. »

« Would she though ? »

« Look Penelope, I know you may be tired and all but this is really not your place to tell me that, you're starting to sound exactly like... »

« Like who ? »

« Like the old you. » 

« And how is that a bad thing ? I thought the goal here was to remember everything, and that include the way I used to be. », Penelope seemed hurt at the other girl's words.

« The old Penelope was manipulative and selfish. », Josie wanted to add that she hurt her but she did not want to look vulnerable in front of the othe girl, especially not in an agrument.

« Yeah well there is no such things as the old Penelope, I'm still her even if I don't rememeber what happened ! », she snapped, « But if you hated me that much, I guess that did not change either, did it ? », she said with tears in her eyes.

« Wait, I don't ha...», tried to apologize, of course she did not hate her, she never could, even after she dumped her or after she kissed MG.

« Weren't you about to leave ? », she cut the other girl.

Both of them exchanged sad looks before Josie opened the door and left silently, she did not know how the situation had escaladated so quickly, and the hurt in the other girl's eyes... She knew she had crossed the line but she was tired of being told that her sister was the devil, sure at first she could seem a bit too much but she had her moments too, and she was her twin, her best friend, she could not turn her back on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ! Thanks for reading and as always, your comments are welcome :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Josie's pov and Penelope's one is coming soon, I originally wanted to post the two chapters at the same time but I think that Penelope's one will take longer to write so here you are :)

Josie went back to her room, and before she entered, she made sure she had whipped her tears off. She had always hated fighting with people and especially with Penelope. As soon as she came in her room, Lizzie jumped on her to ask her which outfit would be the best, Josie was too lost in her thoughts to really care so she chose one without really paying attention to it.

« Why are you here so late ? My date is in less than an hour ! », she asked while she sat on a chair to style her hair, well, to wait for Josie to do it.

« I told you I had to work on that History thing with Penelope. »

« Oh right ! And how was it ? »

« It was fine, we finished faster than expected... », she left the fighting part on purpose, she did not want to annoy her sister with that, she had been waiting for that date for a long time.

« Great then ! » 

Josie did not say anything and started to style her sister's hair instead. After a while, Lizzie realized that her sister seemed pensive so she asked, « Are you okay ? ».

« Yeah, of coure... Why wouldn't I be ? »

« Because you've been staring at the desk for like 3 minutes without saying anything ? »

«It's nothing, I was just thinking about that history homework... », she lied.

The truth was that she could not stop thinking of the dark haired girl, the fight they had really bothered her and she felt bad for some things she said, but at the same time she knew she had been right. Though in the end, she mostly felt bad for risking her friendship with her over a stupid fight.

« And now the real reason ? »

Lizzie knew her too well, « I had a fight with Penelope... », she finally admitted with sad eyes.

The blonde girl got up and took her sister in her arms, « I'm sorry Jo... », she had never liked the girl that much but she could see that she was important to her sister, especially with the recent events.

The two of them ended up talking about what happened earlier, Josie was careful to not speak about the part where her sister was involved, she knew she would start to feel bad about it and that was the last thing she wanted. 

After a while, Lizzie had to go but she texted MG to come over so that Josie would not be alone. 

Of course, MG was there in no time and Josie spilled everything to him. He could see the girl was hurt and he hated seeing her like that. He mostly listened to her but from time to time, the boy would give her some advice of his own and of course, he was careful to not make any comment on how the girl defined her relationship with Penelope as a 'frienship'. The two had never been just friends, not even when they first met, anyone could see that but now was not the time to argue on that.

An hour and a half later, MG decided to get her ice cream and they ended up watching a movie on Netflix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning : drinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Penelope's shirt and accessories are the same as in 1x06 in the cupcake scene and Hope's outfit is the same as Vampire Hope in 1x10

At the same time, in her room, Penelope texted Hope. She knew she was in a complicated situation because of Landon so she figured a night out would change her mind, and hers too.

Hope immediatly answered yes, so the both of them prepared themselves and within an hour, they were both ready. They decided to leave the school before dinner so they could eat out.

Penelope wore a white crop top and a pair of black slim pants with heels, while the other girl had a black shirt on and a leather skirt with tights. Both of them looked impressed by the other.

« You don't look too bad Park. », Hope said when they met in the main hall.

« Neither do you Mikealson, I'm impressed. », she replied.

They smiled at each other and then headed to town, their first stop was the Mystic Grill where they ate, the two got along quite well even though it took them some time to see it before the accident, now, Hope was one of Penelope's only friend, as far as she remembered.

« Wanna talk about what happened ? », asked Hope, she knew that if her friend needed to get away from the school, something must have happened with Josie.

« Nope. You ? », she was referencing to Landon's departure, everyone noticed something was up between them so seeing him leave must have been hard for the tribrid.

« Same. »

So instead of talking about their feelings, they decided to go party at a new bar that had opened in town. It was near the Mystic Grill so they arrived pretty quickly. As it was still early and on a week day, the bar was not too crowded so they sat at a table and ordered two shots of vodka to begin with.

They had spent about an hour drinking and laughing when they saw a group of people entering, they were about their age and according to one of the guy's jacket, they went to the other high school of Mystic Falls.

A girl in the group winked at Penelope when their eyes met and the dark haired girl smiled back. The girl was rather attractive, she had green eyes, brown hair and was pretty tall, and the raven haired girl had nothing to lose so she went to introduce herself after a moment.

« Do you wink to every girl like that ? », she took the other girl by surprise, she had not expected Penelope to interact with her;

« No, just the ones that are worth it... », the girl flirted, « You're Penelope, right ? »

Penelope was taken aback, what if the girl already knew her ? « Yeah and you are ? »

« Lana, we met at the game last month, remember ? »

« Oh... right, sorry, I'm a little tipsy so my brain is a kinda slow. », she said. She did not want to tell her about the amnesia because she just met her and it would for sure be a bad idea if she did, since she was a human, without any powers or knowledge of the supernatural world and it would be better if it stayed that way. So, she went with it instead even though she had no idea what game she was talking about.

« Can I buy you an other drink ? Or even a soda if you wanna slow down. »

« I wouldn't say no to an other shot, and mama didn't raise no quiter. », she joked.

Both girl ended up talking and laughing all evening, Hope joined Lana's friends and surprisingly enough, the girl seemed to also have a good time. Before they returned to the school, Penelope and the brunette exchanged numbers. 

« So... Who was that ? », Hope asked Penelope on the way home.

« You were with her friends all evening, why didn't you ask them ? », she said sarcastically, wich earned her a glare from the other girl. « Her name is Lana, apparently we already met at a game. She is really interesting and fun so I took her number. »

« But what about... Josie ? », at first she hesitated, maybe bring her up now would not be a good idea but both of them were pretty drunk so in the end she asked anyway.

« What about her ? »

« Well, I don't know, you two seemed rather close since you came back... »

« Yeah she helped me for a while and we became friends, but turns out she hates me so... »

« What ?! », that statement shocked Hope, Josie felt a lot of things for Penelope but hate was for sure not one of them.

« Yeah she basically told me so during an argument. »

Penelope then explained the whole thing to Hope at the entrence of the school, it turns out that the girl was drunker than it seemed so she hugged the other girl tightly and Penelope, who was not in a better shape, started crying while thanking her for being here.

After a solid 5 minutes of them expressing their love to each other, the lights went on and Alaric stood by the door. He did not seem too happy about the situation so he told them to go to bed and that he would talk to them tomorrow. So they did as they were told and each of them returned to their room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think ? Will things get better between Joise and Penelope ? What about this new girl ? Did you like drunk Penelope and drunk Hope ? ( Yeah I decided to ask things now because I like reading what you think )


	14. Chapter 14

Penelope woke up with her alarm, she was hangover from the night before but she knew she had to get ready, she had to be in Alaric's office after breakfast. So she dressed up quickly, not really caring about what she would wear and made her way to the lunch room. On her way, she ran into Hope who looked just as hangover as her.

Neither of them were too hungry so they settled themselves with a cup of coffee and a toast. MG joined them shortly after they sat a their usual table.

« Hey ! So where were you last night ? », he asked rather loudly, Hope had texted him she was going out the other girl.

Both of the girls did not seem too pleased with the volume, « Can't you talk a little less louder ? My head hurts », Hope told him.

« Oh ! I see, you two had a little too much fun last night huh ? »

 

« Yeah especially Penelope ».

The raven haired girl kicked her friend under the table, she did not want to let everybody know about the girl she met just yet, she was still waiting for her text anyway.

She managed to change the subject, and soon enough, it was time for the two girl to go to Alaric's office.

On their way there, they saw Josie, Penelope ignored her as much as she could and Hope greeted her nicely. The dark haired girl knew it was childish but she did not want to interact with the other girl for now and she did not have anything to say to her, the girl had made her mind on her so she did not see why she should make an effort to seem different, if she did not like her before, Josie would not like her now.

They knocked on the door and the man told them to come in.

« So how are you this morning ? Still feeling the need to hug someone ? », he teased Hope.

« Very funny... Tell us what is our punishment please, my headache is already big enough. », she responded.

« Well first, it will be over when I say it is, and second, what were you thinking ? There is a reason I don't let you get drunk in town, what if you wanted to show off or something ? You could have exposed all of us ! And Penelope, I know you had a rough time and still don't remember a lot but I know you're not stupid, and neither are you Hope ! »

« We're sorry Ric... We just needed to spend some time outside of the school... We didn't think about the consequences. », Hope spoke.

« Yeah mister Saltzman, I know it was stupid, it was a mistake and I'm sorry. »

« Alright... You're lucky I'm too tired to think of a punishment right now... Get out of here before I find one. », he sighed. A new monster came to the school last night but luckily, they fought it off pretty easily and the students were not even aware it had been here.

They thanked him and exited the office. 

« Damn, we're lucky he likes you ! », Penelope said.

That earned a glare from the tribrid, she did not like it when people told things like that, even though she knew it was true.

Just before she entered the classroom for her first period, she got a text from the girl she met the night before. Lana asked her how she was going so of course, Penelope answered. 

The teacher did not want students to swap seats in this class so Penlope and Josie were stuck together, just like the day before, Penelope did not pay that much attention to class, but this time it was because she was busy texting the girl who, surprisingly enough, answered very fast.

The laughs from the girl did not go unnoticed by the brunette beside her, they had not exchanged a word since last night and she could not help but wonder who the raven haired girl was texting. It could not be MG, since he was sitting behind them, she had parted ways with Hope not even an hour ago and she was usually not much of a texter.

Penelope spent the rest of the classroom texting this mysterious person and Josie spent it pretending she did not care to know who it was or what made her laugh like that.

The other periods went by pretty smoothly, the two girls did not share most of them or did not sit together.

At lunch, Josie sat with her sister and MG while the other girl sat with Hope, she was still in Josie's field of view though, which made it hard for the brunette to stop staring. The two others did not notice it since they were too caught up in a discussion that she did not bother to follow.

« Hey, do you know who Penelope is texting since this morning ? », she finally asked MG.

« Uhh, Hope told me she met some girl last night and they got along pretty well so I assume it might be her ? », he said hesitantly, he did not want to lie to her but he did not want to hurt her either. 

« Oh ! », said Josie, she did not expect that and tried not to let them see the hurt in her eyes, « Good for her, I hope she's happy. », she did not, and especially with that stranger.

The next class they shared was actually last period and unlike this morning, the brunette could not help but watch the girl every now and then, every time she heard a laugh or saw her typing on her phone. 

She usually was not the jealous kind but this time, she did not know why, she was consumed with jealousy. She was not even talking to the girl anymore, it did not make any sense to her. It is not like she still loved her or something, sure they had been close in the last few days but that was just a friend helping a friend, nothing more. Still, she could not help but feel this anger and hurt when she thought of the girl with someone else, or even looked at her, she knew it was still too soon for something happening between Penelope and the new girl but she could not bear that thought. But she was not ready to admit that yet so she said nothing and continued her day as if everything was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, jealous Josie huh ?


	15. Chapter 15

It was friday afternoon, and the day just like the one before had been spend in complete silence between the two girls. Josie, however, had reflected on the situation and was planning on apologizing to Penelope at the party and in the meantime fix whatever was between them. 

She was currently in her room, putting her make up on and thinking of an outfit, she had not gone to a party in a long time and tonight, she wanted to have fun, it was the night where her life would go back to making some kind of sense, she had her friends, her sister, Penelope, soon at least, what could go wrong ?

When she was ready, she helped her sister get ready too and the twins made their entrance to the party in the woods around 9 p.m. It was still early but some people were already there and that included Hope, MG and Rafael. They approached them and they all looked impressed by the effort she made, she even had lipstick on.

« Wow, Josie you look beautiful. », said Rafael, the truth was, she had not really been thinking about him lately, even though she was still interested in him, her sister even gave up the dibs, so nothing stopped her if she wanted to try something, well almost.

« Thanks », she smiled at him.

The beginning of this party was going great, everyone laughed with each other, everyone was having fun, however, Josie could not help but notice that someone was missing.

« Hey ! Is Penelope coming ? »

« She said she'd be a little late », Hope told her.

That statement confused Josie, « But where is she now then ? »

« She has... a date. », Hope said reluctantly.

The brunette had not been expecting that at all. She said nothing more and headed towards the alcohol bottles to fill her drink. Everyone looked a little worry because they knew that even if Josie was the nicest person on earth, they would not want to be the person who made her angry, even more if the brunette was drunk.

They all promised to keep an eye on her tonight, in case she would cause any damage. Rafael decided to go talk to her and try to calm her down a little.

« Hey, are you alright ? », he asked, he knew she was not but he did not know what else to say.

« Yeah totally, what about you ? Having fun ? »

Clearly, the girl did not want to talk about it so he let it go, « Yeah, it had been hard seeing Landon go but other than that, I think I'm fine. »

And they continued talking for a while before one of the werewolves interrupted the conversation so Josie left and she decided to fill her glass again. But she was not used to drink a lot so she became drunk pretty fast.

She was sitting by herself near the campfire when she saw Penelope arriving at the party, the girl was beautiful, her outfit did not have anything in particular and she did not have a lot of make up on, she was just simply beautiful.

The brunette watched her say hi to their friends and laughing and it made her so angry, she was already very drunk and she did not have a lot of self control over her actions so she syphoned some magic from a witch that was passing by and made MG spill his drink on her. She did that a few times during the night, every time she got bored or a little too upset. 

But that became boring too, so at one point, she changed her drink into mud and saw the other girl spit out in digust, it was not much but it made her feel a little better. She was tempted to make fire from the campfire chase the girl for a while but her thoughts got interrupted.

« You can't keep doing that all night you know ? », Rafael surprised her, he had seen everything and was one of the only ones here sober enough to notice it, except for Penelope who figured her drink did not turn into mud itself.

He sat by her side, Josie had found a quiet place, away from everyone, against a wall of the old barn.

« It brings me comfort for now so why not ? », she said drunkenly, « You know, one time I set her on fire, literally. », she said with a very serious face and then they both burst out laughing.

« Damn, thanks for warning me not to mess with you. », he said, still chuckling.

« Don't worry, I would not do that to you », she said looking at him in the eyes.

He did too and then stared at her lips,a silence settled between the two, and before they knew it, they were kissing, both of them knew it was not serious, it was just a distraction. Raphael wanted to stop thinking about Hope, since she was his best friend's girlfriend and Josie wanted to stop feeling whatever she was feeling towards Penelope, she knew it was more than friendship, at this point, denying i would be useless, but she did not want to put a word on it, it would make it real, too real.

The kiss felt nice, it was nothing compared to what they already felt during former kisses, but it was comforting, and right now that was all they needed.

« Josie ? », she heard a voice she knew way too well calling her from behind and interrupting the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See what I did there ? lol


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are any mistakes

Penelope had a shocked look on her face, she was hurt and it showed. She did not wait for an answer and turned back, she needed to get out of this party, she needed to be alone. The girl had originally came to talk to the brunette, apologize and also announce her the fact that she had started to have glipses of memories coming back.

But right know, she wanted to be as far as possible from her.

Josie did not waste any time and tried to follow the girl, but she was fast. Once they were away from the party, she managed to grab her arm and stop her.

« Let go of me ! », Penelope yelled while yanking her arm away from the other girl.

« Penelope please wait ! »

« Oh so know you wanna talk to me, huh ? Don't you have a party to be at ? A boy to kiss ? », she asked with tears in her eyes.

« I swear that kiss meant nothing ! We were both vulnerable and lonely so it happened but it won't ever again. He is a good friend of mine but nothing more. »

« Oh really ?! Well guess what ? I started to gain some parts of my memories back and it appears that your crush on him wasn't that friendly after all. », she dropped the news, the dark haired girl did not even care to wait for a good timing now, she was just angry and jealous. 

Her date with Lana had not been a success, as soon as she had seen the other girl, Penelope had realized her mistake. She was head over heels for Josie and that date was only there to distract her, but it clearly did not work since she had spent the entire evening thinking of the brunette, she had barely listened to a word the girl had said and she had found a way to leave as soon as she could, her goal had originally been to find the girl and put an end to this ridiculus fight between them.

« It wasn't... », Josie stuttered a little before realizing what the other girl just said, « Wait what ? Penelope that's awesome ! ».

« Yeah well now I'm starting to remember how you hated me too so... », in fact, the few memories she had gotten back were mostly from a recent past, one where they were no longer together and barely even spoke with each other, and every time they did, it was to fight.

« Well sure enough you still haven't recovered all of them because then you would also remember our first kiss in the snow, our first I love you and all the ones that followed, all the happy times we had, how everyone would tease us for being so disgustingly in love and how they were absolutely right. Because we were in love and it was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. »

Penelope did not know how to react, she wished she remembered eveything and most of all, she wished she would be lucky enough to live those happy moments again with the girl. But she did not missed how the brunette had used the past tense to say that they used to be in love, obviously missing the part where Penelope still was. Little did she know, Josie felt the exact same way about her, only she was being careful and was trying to avoid getting hurt again. However, that statement had given Penelope a proof that Josie still cared for her, and that warmed her heart more than anything.

« I'm sorry », Josie started again, « About everything that happened the last couple of days, I did not want to hurt you but I couldn't let you talk about Lizzie like that... »

That managed to make Penelope feel a little better about their relationship, they may not be lovers but at least Josie would still remain close to her, she had a chance to make things better with her so she responded with a soft « I'm sorry too. ».

They smiled at each other and stayed awkwardly there for a while.

« So you wanna go back to the party or... ? », Josie broke the silence after a minute or two.

« Nah, I'm exhausted, I think I'm gonna go back to my room now. »

« Yeah I should go too, I clearly drank too much already. Do you mind if I walk with you ? »

Penelope chuckled and told the girl to come with her, they stayed silent on the way to the dorms too, both of them were still processing the events of the night. They knew they still had things to talk about but for tonight, they were just glad to have each other back. 

Josie tripped a few times because the alcohol still in her system but Penelope helped her and soon enough, they arrived et Penelope's dorm door.

« I'm sorry for kissing Rafael tonight, I guess I just needed a distraction... », admitted Josie.

« A distraction from what ? », luckily for her, Josie had trouble keeping her tongue while she was drunk.

« From your date. »

« Oh... »

« Yeah... », Josie could not believe she just said that, so she started to get nervous, « Uh, anyway I'll leave you alone, you probably need rest and I do too so... goodnight ! », she smiled at her and took off as soon as she finished that sentence.

« Hey ! », Penelope called her before she was too far, « The date was not even that good », and with that she enterred her room, leaving the other girl with a smile on her face.

Both of their heart were full from that exchange, they knew they had nothing to be jealous about. Even with the doubts Penelope had gotten earlier, the fact that Josie seemed upset about her date brought her some hopes that maybe the girl was not totally over her after all. Josie on the other side, got reassurance and was starting to think that she should consider opening up more to the girl, after all, maybe her heart would not suffer as much as it did last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys ! I won't be able to write for the next week and a half, I have mock exams next week so I need to study, but don't worry I will definitely continue this story, I just need you to be patient :)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I would not write this week but I got some free time so here you are :)

That night, Penelope lied awake thinking of the girl. She was starting to get more and more memories back but none of them were about the things she had described to her, she longed for those memories. She wanted to know what their first kiss was, how they had spent nights like this one in the arms of one another. But for know, all she had was the pain, the regrets and the lost hopes. She was determined though, so if those memories refused to come back, she would create them all over again, at least she wanted to. Things with Josie had just started to get better and she did not want to mess up but she was in love with her, she was sure of that now, and she needed to get her back so she decided that from now on, she would do everything to be worthy of her, to be forgiven for the pain she had caused and to make her happy.

On the other hand, Josie thought about the evening too on her way to her room, but as soon as she arrived in it, she fell on her bed and then asleep.

Josie woke up that morning with the biggest headache, it took some time before she recalled the event of the night before and when she did, she could not suppress the smile on her face, she did not believe she did that but seeing as things turned out, she was pretty happy with herself. The brunette did not have time to reflect on that for long though, she heard a knock on the door so she autorized whoever it was to come in.

To her surprise, the person who knocked was Penelope and she brought with her a plate of various breakfast foods with her.

« Hey », she greeted with a soft smile.

Josie did not have time to respond as her sister spoke first, « Hey Dark Lord, I hope you brought some for me too. »

« Sure, you can go downstair to get it yourself. », she shot back before smiling sarcastically.

Josie contained her laughter, she did not like the grudge the two held against each other, but seeing them pick on eachother could be amusing some times.

The blonde rolled her eyes and left the room to have breakfast and Josie was finally able to greet the girl who brought her food.

« I also brought aspirin for your head, I thought you might need it after last night. »

She placed the plate on the girls legs, it had toasts on it, hot chocolate, orange juice and a box of painkillers for the headache she was currently experiencing, Josie found the gesture incredibly sweet and could not stop smiling even with how hungover she was. Meanwhile, Penelope sat at the end of the bed.

« I was really that bad, huh ? », she asked awkwardly, too embarrassed to look at Penelope in the eyes.

« I've seen worse », she joked, the image of Hope and her hugging and crying in front of the school crossed her mind but she quickly shook it off, now that was a memory she would like to forget.

« Like the time you hugged Hope ? », for a moment, the raven haired girl got scared the other witch could read her mind or something, « My dad asked me what was up with you two the day after. », she explained.

« Why am I being attacked like this ? It's still so early in the morning ! », she joked.

« For once, the great Penelope Park has found herself in a delicate situation and I can't even make fun of her ?! »

«So you think I'm great, huh ? »

« Don't try to escape this conversation ! », Josie said, clearly flustered.

« Don't try to escape this one either then », she smiled deviously at her, that smile always made Josie weak but she decided to not show it, tried not to at least.

The brunette rolled her eyes and then, Penelope decided to do what she originally came for, ask her out.

« So uhm, I was wondering...», she started nervously as the atmosphere changed radically, « I know we still have things to clear between us and all but would you go on a date with me ? Tonight ? »

Josie was not expecting that at all, she was still a little hesitant because of everything that happened between them but the last few days had been a proof that the two of them might still have a chance to be happy so she accepted. Seeing the other girl become so nervous after she just clearly flirted with her had actually been enough for her to accept but she would never admit it.

« Really ?! », Penelope had been prepared for rejection, she knew the girl had her reserves towards her, as a date anyway, but she could not contain her smile at the respond, « I'll pick you up at 7 then. », and with that she got up from the bed and walked towards the door.

« You're leaving already ? », Josie coould not help how disappointed she sounded.

« Yeah, I got a date to prepare. », and with a last wink, she left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm starting school again, the updates won't be as fast as the last ones and I still have those mock exams so it might be the only chapter of the week ! 
> 
> On a side note, you can contact me on tumblr or in the comments if you have requests for this story, I might need help with the date part tbh I'm not that good at those things soooo, also my tumblr is @gayandnaps (I also just created a twitter account and I have 0 followers which is kinda sad lol it’s the same as my tumblr and I’ll be updating here my new fics and stuff so you can go follow that too if you want lol or just interact) :)


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy :)

The rest of the day had been terribly long for Josie, she could not believe she actually had a date with Penelope. Not that she was unhappy, she was behond excited, but after their break up, she had sworn that she would never trust the raven haired girl again. She knew things were different now though, and here she was, preparing for a date with her. 

She was wearing a yellow shirt and a black skirt with some thighs and high black boots. It was currently 6.30 pm and the brunette was desperately trying to curl her hair when her sister came into the room.

« Do you need help with that ? », she asked pointing at the iron.

« So you're actually encouraging me to go on that date ? »

« No... But I want to see you happy and if that date or whatever can make you that happy, I guess I can be a good sister for once and encourage you... Even though I still don't trust the blair bitch. »

« Mhmm, sure Jan. », she joked, « But thank you Lizzie, I wanna see you happy too, you deserve it. »

« Whatever Josette... So what were you trying to do with that iron ? Make your hair fall ? »

« Shut up ! It happened one time 7 years ago and it was only a strand ! », she pouted while Lizzie burst out laughing.

Just as she finished, they heard knocks on the door so Josie went to open it. Her eyes met with the hazel eyed girl and she was at a loss of words, both of them were. Penelope had not expected the girl to look this good, she did not even think she could be even prettier than she already were, and there she was, looking more gorgeous than ever. 

She was not looking too bad herself though, she wore a black dress and a jeans vest. 

« Are you two going to stand there all night ? », Lizzie interrupted their staring contest.

« Nice to see you too Lizzie... But for once you're right... Shall we go mylady ? », she said with a charming smile while offering her hand to Josie who gladly took it.

« It would be my pleasure », she giggled.

« Oh my gosh ! You're so lame ! », Lizzie told them with an eye roll but she got cut with the two of them saying goodbye to her and closing the door.

They walked outside, still holding each other's hand, they eventually had to let go when they arrived at Penelope's car. The raven haired girl held the door for Josie before coming to the driver sit.

« So... where are you taking me ? »

« It's a surprise »

« If you're actually kidnapping me, just know that I can defend myself », she joked.

« You're such a dork ! But don't worry I know you're tough, I wouldn't dare to try anything. »

« Mhmm exactly ! », she ignored the dork part.

They spent the entire trip joking around and being silly, and after 20 minutes, they finally arrived to a restaurant.

« I picked an Italian restaurant because I remembered you telling me this was your favorite food. », it was, in fact, one of the only good thing that involved the other girl that she could remember.

« Yeah I remember that conversation, we had an entire debate about which food was the best and you kept saying it was Japanese ! »

« Well it is, but I guess Italian is not that bad either... »

The waitress gave them a table in the back of the restaurant, where it was quieter, and they discussed various things, gossips mainly, apparently Josie had caught Lizzie texting Hope a lot these last few days so they started to make theories about them dating. Little did they know, they were not too far from the truth.

They ate pretty quickly and when they left the place, Penelope proposed that they moved to a park nearby to get some ice cream and just enjoy the evening.

Everything was so nice, it was simple and yet really special, Josie had always loved simple and romantic gestures, she did not need big things as long as she was with the person that mattered.

They walked in the park and the night started to fall, both of them had finished their ice cream when they heard someone play the guitare.

They followed the sound of the instrument and they ended up under a little kiosk, they found a guy playing the guitare alone so they watched him play and sing in silence until Josie made Penelope dance with her, just as he started playing Safety Dance by Sleeping at Last. She was reluctant in the beginning but the brunette seemed so happy about it that she could not refuse.

They danced under that kiosk like they were the only people in the world, nothing else mattered at this instant, time had stopped. Josie realized how much she had missed those moments, Penelope was the only person capable of making her feel like that. They swayed softly with their forehead touching and their arms around eachother's back. When the song came to an end, Penelope finally made a move and closed the gap between their lips. The kiss was sweet and passionate and Josie responded almost instantly.

When they parted, they both chuckled lightly, « It was about time. », said the raven haired girl, Josie shook her head, still chuckling.

« Better later than never. », she finally answered.

« True... So... Wanna head home ? Maybe watch a movie or something ? »

« Sounds good to me. »

They headed to the school and for the entire trip, they held hands and even interlocked their fingers. At one point on their way to Penelope's car, she noticed that Josie was shaking so she took off her jacket and gave it to her, which she refused at first, but the raven haired girl did not give her a choice.

Once at the school, they decided to go to Penelope's room to not be disturb by a loud twin, they both put on some pyjamas and settled in bed, just like they did a few days ago. They decided to watch Into The Spiderverse but it did not take longue before Josie noticed the other girl staring at her.

« What ? », she asked with a soft chuckle.

« Nothing. I just think you're beautiful. »

Josie did not now what to say, she had caught her off guard. So instead of replying with words, she kissed the girl.

The rest of the movie was spent either randomly making out or just cuddling until they fell asleep in the arm of the other. This evening was the happiest the both of them had felt in a long time, it had been refreshing not thinking about anything besides their own happiness and the one of the person they loved. Josie was not scared of getting hurt anymore and Penelope was slowly starting to remember, things began to get back to normal and the worst was behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is coming to an end, I'll update a last chapter to properly conclude it tho don't worry and thank you all very much to have read it, it means a lot to me :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last chapter, hope you enjoy :) (it’s more of an epilogue than anything tbh)

It was a month after the date, and Penelope, who now had all her memories back, was waiting for her girlfriend in front of her room, to go in the lunch room for breakfast. They were supposed to meet with MG, Hope, Lizzie and Rafael.

Josie came out of the room shortly after Penelope's knock and greeted her with a soft kiss on her lips.

« Ugh, you're lucky I love you despite your morning breath... », she told her, that made her win a light punch on the arm.

They both smiled happily and made their way downstairs, everyone was there already so they sat with their food and Josie did not wait a second to expose her sister.

« So... Lizzie, it's been a while since you've slept in our room. »

« How would you know that ? You're almost always in Penelope's room... », since things were getting better between the blonde and the raven haired girl, she had started to call her by her name, which was a huge step for her even though she would never admit it that she actually liked the girl.

« It's in the same hallway as P's room and I spotted you more than once sneaking in a certain someone's room. », she said, staring directly at Hope who almost choked on her coffee.

« Uhh, I needed company since you left me all by myself, and turns out Hope is not that bad... I guess... ».

At this point, everyone was staring at them expectantly. They were both getting redder and redder until the tribrid decided to whisper something in the blonde's ear. 

« Alright... Attention everyone ! I have an announcement since ya'll are nosy as hell. », she started to say to their group, « Hope and I have been dating for the past two weeks. », she was the one who had originally wanted to announce it but she had to wait because Hope did not want the whole school to know after the first day.

Against what they both expected, Rafael and Penelope seemed disappointed while MG and Josie screamed in joy. They were totally dumbfounded by all the different faces and exclamations they all made.

« It's time to pay up wolf boy, you too babe ! », Josie said rather loudly.

« Wait... you bet on our relationship ?! », Hope asked.

« Well we bet on the time you would take to announce it actually... », MG spoke before immediately regretting it when he saw Hope and Lizzie eyes shooting lasers at him. 

« And what exactly did you all bet on ? », Lizzie went back to her main interest.

« Well, those two losers over there thought you would wait at least a month, MG and I said two weeks. »

They did not expect that, the both of them genuinely thought they were being subtle, they thought it would shock everyone but instead, they all bet on the reveal, not even questionning the fact that they were dating.

« But Jojo it's not fair ! You put them on the spot by asking ! », Penelope protested.

« We never said anything about fair rules, love. », she said with a smug face.

Penelope and Rafael both gave their money to the winners before they all decided to leave to go prepare for class. Both couple holding the hand of the person they loved and being as happy as they could possibly be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank everyone who has read this story, I'm still impressed by how many people actually read it, it means so much to me ! I think I will go back to shorter stories for a while but if I find a good plot maybe I'll write one as longue as this one again who knows...
> 
> You can always send me suggestions, as I said before, on Tumblr or Twitter: @gayandnaps (works for both)


End file.
